The Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship heads to Fafe this weekend for the GP of Portugal I, round four of the season and the first of two back-to-back races at the same venue. Josep García arrives as championship leader ahead of Andrea Verona after their Finland showdown, while 119 riders are entered and American Steward Baylor makes his EnduroGP debut as a Kawasaki wild card.

The town of Fafe, in northern Portugal and around one hour’s drive north-east of Porto, hosts the fourth round of the 2026 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship from June 12-14. It will be the first of two consecutive Portuguese GPs, with the GP of Portugal II taking place at the same venue one week later, from June 19-21.

A total of 119 riders will line up for the GP of Portugal I as the world championship reaches its halfway point following an intense battle three weeks ago in Finland. There, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders Josep García and Andrea Verona shared the EnduroGP overall wins, with Zach Pichon and Steve Holcombe completing the podium on one day each.

The Portuguese round also brings two standout names on the entry list. American Steward Baylor, six-time AMA National Enduro Champion and part of Team USA’s World Trophy squad for the 2026 ISDE in Portugal, will make his first EnduroGP appearance with Kawasaki.

In the Expotrade Women’s Enduro category, Canada’s Shelby Turner joins the field with Triumph, using the Portuguese round as preparation for the centenary edition of the ISDE, which takes place in Grândola, Portugal, from October 12-17 in the southern Alentejo region. Although the terrain will be very different from what riders face this weekend in Fafe, it will give her valuable time in the special test format used at the Six Days.

García, Verona and Freeman lead E1, E2 and E3

In EnduroGP, the overall battle between Josep García and Andrea Verona continues ahead of the visit to Fafe. The Spaniard arrives as leader on 112 points, 11 clear of Verona, his main rival for the overall crown. Behind them, Zach Pichon sits third on 71 points for TM Moto, followed by Steve Holcombe on 67 for Sherco and Brad Freeman on 59 for Beta.

The top 10 is completed by Hamish Macdonald on 52 points, Antoine Magain on 47, Albin Norrbin on 45, Morgan Lesiardo on 43 and Max Ahlin on 38. It is a classification that underlines García and Verona’s early control of the championship, but also leaves the fight for the final podium wide open, with seven different manufacturers represented inside the top 10.

In E1, Josep García arrives in Portugal with a perfect record. The Spanish rider has won all six race days so far and leads the class on 120 points. Morgan Lesiardo is second on 91, with Antoine Magain third on 88.

The situation is similar in E2 for Andrea Verona. The Italian has only missed out on one class win this season and leads the middleweight category with 117 points. Zach Pichon, second on 98, remains 19 points behind, while Hamish Macdonald is third on 87.

The closest fight is in E3. Beta’s Brad Freeman still holds the championship lead, but Steve Holcombe arrives on a charge after taking a double win in Finland. Just four points separate the two British riders before Fafe.

Albin Norrbin is also right in the mix. The Husqvarna rider has 93 points and sits third, only five points off the lead, confirming E3 as one of the most open categories of the season.

The Women are back in action in Portugal

The Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship returns in Fafe for round three of five. Rieju Factory Team rider Rachel Gutish heads to the GP of Portugal I as championship leader with 67 points, 14 more than Nieve Holmes and 15 ahead of Justine Martel.

Shelby Turner’s presence adds another point of interest to the class. The Canadian will race with Triumph in a key round of the season, strengthening the Women’s field before the second half of the championship.

Dagna and Elgari separated by just three points in Junior

The FIM Tsubaki Junior World Championship also arrives in Portugal with the overall battle tight at the top. Three riders have shared the wins so far this season, with France’s Romain Dagna leading the standings for KTM on 104 points.

Alberto Elgari is second for TM Moto, just three points behind, while Kevin Cristino holds third on 86 points for Husqvarna. By class, Elgari leads Junior 1 and Dagna tops Junior 2.

Youth class too close to call before Fafe

The FIM Putoline Oil Youth World Championship lands in Portugal with everything still to play for. Simone Cagnoni leads the standings for KTM, but only three points separate him from Pietro Scardina on Fantic and Yago Domínguez on KTM.

The RFME rider, racing a WP Èric Augé-prepared bike, also arrives full of motivation after taking his first win of the season on the final day in Vierumäki. With two consecutive rounds in Fafe, the Youth class now enters a crucial part of the championship.

Provisional pre-entry list for the 2026 GP of Portugal I:

Photos credit: Future7Media + Kwasaki USA